Bar Ocelli proves Ottawa can host a world-class cocktail lounge, offering refined drinks and impeccable service.
Bar Ocelli
17 William Street
Open 5PM – 1AM
Closed Monday
The ByWard Market has long been Ottawa’s most concentrated district of bars and restaurants, a few minutes walk from Parliament Hill and a magnet for both visitors and locals. It’s the part of town where prices skew high, quality can be inconsistent, and nightlife energy often outweighs finesse. For most venues, that trade-off is accepted as part of the terrain.
For cocktail drinkers, however, the Market remains unavoidable. Some of the city’s most skilled bartenders work within its grid, producing excellent cocktail programs. Bar Ocelli emerges from this context not as another addition to the district, but as a corrective: a cocktail lounge that pushes the envelope of the Ottawa cocktail scene.
Bar Ocelli is a high-end cocktail lounge that opened in 2024 on a narrow, alley-like stretch of William Street in the ByWard Market. Imagine a moody, intimate, dimly lit bar designed with opulence in mind. No wall-mounted TVs. No loud music blasting through the speakers. It is a beautiful bar, the kind that captivates you the moment you walk in.
That cosmopolitan ambition is no accident. Bar Ocelli is the creation of Cody Nicoll, co-owner, and Witek Wojaczek, co-owner and managing partner. Witek is a name already known to those who follow Ottawa’s cocktail scene. He earned his stripes bartending in some of the world’s best bars. While working at The Savoy’s Beaufort Bar in London, he claimed the UK’s 2016 national Courvoisier cocktail competition. From there, he joined the team at Artesian, a legendary establishment that reigned as the world’s best bar for four consecutive years.
After a stint as a brand ambassador for Stoli, Wojaczek eventually relocated to Ottawa. Locals might remember him from Sidecar on Preston Street, where, under his leadership, the bar earned the 23rd spot on the 2023 Canada’s 100 Best Bars list. That was the last time any Ottawa venue cracked the ranking.
Vitek brings his experience to Bar Ocelli, where he bartends alongside Isaac and Tia. The latter two’s reach extends beyond Ocelli’s walls: Isaac can be found every Friday night behind the bar at Jackalope, while Tia bartends weekdays at Q Bar. This trio forms the backbone of Ocelli’s mind-blowing cocktail program, one that is far beyond the level of innovation that Ottawa is accustomed to.
From the spring–summer 2024 menu:
Pom & Sumac Smash (23$): This drink was as balanced as it was beautiful. The sumac lent an unexpected tartness that played elegantly with the other elements, and the presentation matched the artful photos that had caught our attention on Bar Ocelli’s social media.
From the spring-summer 2025 menu:
Banana (24.25$): Garnished simply with a dried banana slice, the drink was deceptively minimal in appearance. The nose was unmistakably banana, but the palate offered a more complex story: rum-led, nuanced, and not overly sweet. It was a phenomenal yet visually simple libation.
From the fall-winter 2025 menu:
Mojo Criollo (19.50$): This enjoyable cocktail was initially created for the Havana Club Cocktail Maestro Competition. It was multifaceted, delicately hitting many flavor notes, including sweet, tart, botanical, and slightly savory.
Blood orange (23.25$): Served in an elegant couple glass, this delicious cocktail was sweet, creamy, and well-balanced. It tasted like Creme Savers: Orange & Cream, instantly bringing back childhood memories. Visually, the colors match that candy as well.
This is a bar that refuses to compromise, aiming not just to impress locals but to gain worldwide recognition. That mission has already garnered international recognition: Bar Ocelli received international acknowledgement at the 2025 Spirited Awards, as it was one of the Honorees in the category “Best New International Cocktail Bars (Canada)”.
On Thursday nights, Head Bartender Isaac presided over the bar. He is a study in how hospitality should be done: debonair, charismatic, attentive, and deeply studious of the craft. He has an intrinsic ability to connect with guests. He curates his own playlists for the bar — think J Dilla, Common, A Tribe Called Quest — setting a mood that feels hip, yet mature.
The bartenders at Bar Ocelli possess a deep knowledge of classic and neo-classic cocktails, guiding guests with confidence toward versions that reveal these drinks in their best form. Some may argue that cocktail presentations are getting out of hand in Ottawa’s bar scene, but Bar Ocelli leans more into minimalism and elegance. Each signature cocktail has its own specific glassware, and the team instinctively selects the right vessel for anything ordered off-menu.
Nice to know: Every Sunday is “Oysters, Martini and Wine day,” during which oysters are $2 a shuck, martinis are $17 each, and wine is $2 off per glass.
Martini: Bartender Isaac crafts a gin martini with Tanqueray No. 10 and a whisper of peach, his personal recipe for those who are still learning to appreciate martinis. It was stirred, not shaken, and slightly tweaked for easier drinking while being gin-forward as it should be. It was very enjoyable.
Food-wise, Bar Ocelli offers small plates, ranging from $12 to $24, including oysters, arancini, and halloumi fries.
As a cocktail enthusiast, there’s always a reason to visit Bar Ocelli. Not only does their cocktail menu change seasonally, but they also regularly collaborate with various reputable bars. So far, this includes Vancouver Island’s Clive’s Classic Lounge, Montreal’s Bar Bisou Bisou, El Pequeno Bar, Bar Bello, The Cloakroom Bar, and Toronto’s Compton Ave. Most recently, Witek did a takeover at Amaro Bar (London, UK)
Bar Ocelli has raised the bar on what a cocktail lounge can be in Ottawa. With its moody, meticulously designed setting and polished service, it evokes the elegance of world-renowned watering holes. It is a rare thing: a bar that not only elevates a city’s standards but could stand proudly on the global stage. Bar Ocelli is possibly the city’s best cocktail bar, and we hope to see it become a benchmark for Canada’s capital region.